Missing question is a test problem

Some schools' state math exams contain blank page

Updated 9:47 pm, Friday, May 2, 2014

New York's third-grade math test questions don't add up.

Teachers in about 100 of the 3,000 schools administering the exams this week realized the test booklets used Thursday were missing questions.

And while the state Education Department quickly moved to correct the situation, the errors have renewed calls by those who oppose the exams, which are in keeping the state's new Common Core learning standards.

The questions went missing on Thursday, the second day of a three-day testing period for third-graders.

According to the Education Department, four versions of the exam booklets were distributed. Each of the four has different "field test'' questions that don't count toward the scores but are used to try out new questions.

In some of the booklets, an error at the Education Department printing press resulted in blank pages.

So far, the bulk of the problems appear to be coming from western New York with few reports around the Capital Region. "We haven't really heard about anything locally," said Capital Region BOCES spokeswoman Jill Aurora.

New York State United Teachers, the state's largest teachers union, said in a prepared statement that it received reports of missing questions in Albany, northern New York and Long Island. However, Albany schools spokesman Ron Lesko said Friday afternoon he had not heard about any missing questions in the city district.

Local districts often turn to BOCES for help with issues in standardized tests and tell the organization if there was a problem.

While the test scores don't affect the records or promotions for third-graders, they are supposed to be used in part to evaluate teachers, which has been a sore point with unions as well as lawmakers.

NYSUT and other critics said the error is the latest problem in what they contend is a poorly executed rollout of the exams.

"This was supposed to be the year they were going to get the tests right," said Lisa Rudley, of New York State Allies for Public Education, a coalition of parents and teachers who said the tests aren't properly aligned with the new standards and are excessive.

Under Common Core, third-grade exams include basic algebra concepts, fractions and multiplication. Rudley's group pointed out that third-graders are spending between six and 12 hours on the tests over a six-day period.

The group is calling for Education Commissioner John King and Regents Chancellor Merryl Tisch to step down. King and Tisch have defended the exams as necessary for updating learning standards.

King, Tisch and the Board of Regents this year agreed to delay full implementation of the tests until 2022. They said the changes make it almost impossible to fire a teacher based on poor test scores.

Teachers in grades 3-8, or about 18 percent statewide, have part of their evaluations based on the Common Core tests.